Daily Times

Sir: This is with reference to your editorial “Pakistan-India: the surreal unravelling of relations” and reports published in your newspaper about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and lack of diplomatic efforts, which should have preceded it. I think it is pertinent to mention that war does not resolve issues, it only creates more.

While Prime Minister Sharif’s UNGA address was balanced and rightly focused on Kashmir and Indian atrocities in the valley, it lacked passion and delivery which was the hallmark of perhaps the only capable Pakistani leader Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was skilled in foreign affairs and acknowledged for his skills by friends and foes alike.

Pakistan desperately needs a full time Foreign Minister for engaging with other states and foreign missions, and convincing them of the legitimacy of our stand on various issues. Foreign policies should be based on long term economic and strategic national interests, with inputs from all stake holders and not dictated by short term political objectives of individual regimes, either civil or military.

We are fighting and achieving results in the war against terrorism, but losing on the diplomatic front. The Prime Minister is too busy in matters of state and needs help in handling vital task of planning a strategy for a successful foreign policy. Our long term national interests would be served by having cordial workable relations with all our neighbours, while making efforts to have good relations with all three centres of power i.e. USA, Russia and China.

Simultaneously, Pakistan needs to focus on achieving real economic growth, increase exports, and acquire technological self sufficiency. It is imperative that like in the US Constitution it should be mandatory that only citizens of Pakistan who live here permanently should be allowed to hold any public office, head political parties, and nobody other than the state should be allowed to collect taxes or maintain armed disciplined police force working strictly within its defined jurisdiction.

MALIK TARIQ ALI

Lahore